Every year, in the framework of the Compendium for Coast and Sea, the compendium secretariat of VLIZ reports in the form of a policy-informing brief (PIB) on the current state of marine research in Flanders and Belgium. The inventory touches upon the marine research capacity and the scientific output but also looks at international partnerships, the geographical focus of the study areas and the use of research vessels among various other things.
The inventory shows that marine research is growing in Belgium and is firmly internationally anchored. For example, 115 marine research groups are currently being identified (reference point 16/10/2017) (methodology, see PIB) that publish between 500 and 600 peer-reviewed publications each year. In 78% the research takes place outside the Belgian part of the North Sea and in 72% there is international cooperation. For the most part the international cooperation is in partnership with the neighbouring countries and the US. Research vessels are also deployed in about 28% of the cases (2008-2016), accounting for a total of 194 different research vessels.
With this annual policy information brief VLIZ seeks to inform the marine and maritime (science) policy, the marine research community and other stakeholders. These figures and trends will further be discussed and put in a broader context within Chapter 1 of the Compendium for Coast and Sea 2018 (release November 2018).
*Note: this PIB is currently only available in English
Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee | InnovOcean Campus | Jacobsenstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, België
Tel.: +32-(0)59-33 60 00 | e-mail: compendium@vliz.be
